Golden Turd and Karaoke

Today I made plans with John to see each other for a some wandering around Tokyo. We met around lunchtime in Shinjuku, but we had to stop again at my hotel as I had a problem with my shoes that needed to be solved.

We then ate some spaghetti at "Al Dente" my favourite spaghetti place, and we moved quickly towards the Edo museum, which is situated on the other side of the circle line from Shinjuku.

The museum was allright I guess, nothing majorly mind blowing, but nice.

We then decided that it was time to move towards the Golden Turd.
Apparently the history of this infamous and quite unlucky sculpture (if we can call it this way), is that it was meant to be a flame, blazing its way towards the sky.
As it happens though, the sismic problems that afflict Japan meant that the sculpture had to be laid on the top of the building rather than have it erected as it was probably meant to be.

Bottom line: it IS a golden turd, probably among the worst pieces of art that I have even seen.

Anyways, the Golden Turd was good to get some beer at the Asahi headquartes (the building behind the turd looks like a beer glass, incredible!) after which we popped in to see Asakusa like every other gaijin that gets near that place.

We then quickly moved towards our restaurant of choice, a total vegetarian place around 10 minuets away from Asakusa.
The food was quite surprisingly great, it's the second time that I go to such a restaurant with John, and although the two places kind of resembled each other, the quality and taste of that stuff is quite surprising.

After the veggie food it was time for the very first session of Karaoke I have even had with John. We started off with a classic (Lithium - Nirvana) and we sang for an hour like madmen, an experience to be repeated for sure in the future.

It was then time to say goodbye, next time I meet them I will be either self employed or in another company, but I don't think that seeing them will be different at all...

Comment 1

Really nice set of pictures Lox.

It's really great to have two parallel sets of photos for our day out.

...particularly as, unlike the previous day, your portrayal of the day's events is an accurate one!

Posted by John at 2006/07/09 01:46:34.

Comment 2

Great photos Lox! Good to see your "famous" boss at last!

I really liked the lightweight suit you wore for your interview - very cool!

And as for checking the Maison on your phone from the top of the hotel, with the view of the city... Splendid!! :))

Posted by Nigel at 2006/07/09 09:43:37.

Comment 3

I am not so sure about Johns fabrication theory, if you cross reference woth johns own blog for the evenings event,s I think he rather too swiftly, skips over the description of the girls describing them as "new yorkers" As though they were just a bunch of blokes they met.... clearly there is more here to be uncovered!!

Posted by kev at 2006/07/09 13:57:19.

Comment 4

I appeaqr to have posted this in the wrong blog entry, shouldl have bee the previosu day!!!

Posted by kev at 2006/07/09 13:58:04.

Comment 5

John:I loved your pics too, especially the ones at the Sumo place (Ryokuku? I never seem to remember this name!!)...

Nigel: AHA! I had to wait toill the last moment... you never know!

Kev: It is not a fabrication, ok maybe I overdone it when I am talking about the nice British jokes, but the rest is true! (especially the Humprey Boogart voice that John put up)

Posted by Lox at 2006/07/09 14:05:33.

Comment 6

I'm not going to rise to it!

Posted by John at 2006/07/09 15:16:23.

Comment 7

You know what I like ? With you guys, I travel all around the world. It's like a sanitary puff of fresh air in my 'sordid' sedentary life...

Posted by Sheri at 2006/07/09 18:24:06.

Comment 8

Sheri: Same for me here! I love seeing the pictures of Nigel place and of Vien, even if it's not that far from Europe they are interesting nonetheless!